It really isn't an underdog to the HD-600 which I previously thought is very very nice for jazz. Can't compare them side by side but I might get one again soon.

I compared the similar-to-HD-540 HD 530 to the HD 600 and thought the latter sounded a bit more detailed but a bit worse in timbre, with my preference being the HD 530. I also compared the HD 530 to the K 701 and thought they were about even. These HD 530 were slightly modded, however.

But while old headphones can sound quite nice, we really aren't getting that much for our $, £, and € with these 'modern' headphones like the HD 600 and K 701, either, so I'm not sure that the comparison isn't a bit skewed in favor of the older models.

[...] Happened to find a 540 Reference for only €25 which seems to be in great condition both interior and exterior. Velour is on them although I cannot be sure if these are originals. I must say that I am quite wow-ed [...].

25 or 250 euros? is it a typo?

25 euros would be one tenth the price of the cheapest Beats for a headphone sounding a least 10x better than the most expensive Beats (sorry for such an old joke, but i couldn't help and, after all, it isn't a joke).

btw, since you are mentioning velour pads, i assume it's a HD 540 ref II ?

I compared the similar-to-HD-540 HD 530 to the HD 600 and thought the latter sounded a bit more detailed but a bit worse in timbre, with my preference being the HD 530. I also compared the HD 530 to the K 701 and thought they were about even. These HD 530 were slightly modded, however.

But while old headphones can sound quite nice, we really aren't getting that much for our $, £, and € with these 'modern' headphones like the HD 600 and K 701, either, so I'm not sure that the comparison isn't a bit skewed in favor of the older models.

The thing that I liked best about my HD 540 II's (which have mostly stopped working due to contact spring issues) is the realism of the percussion instruments in the lower treble. The cymbals on my SRH 840s and K702's don't sound quite as realistic as that on the HD540 II's.

I have tried both the HD540 Reference I and II with their original pads, with HD250II pads and with adapted-to-fit HD560 earpads. From my listening comparisons, the 540 I and II sounded their best with the Ref.II original velour earpads. Using them both with "closed" HD250 pads diminished the size of the stereo image quite significantly and made the bass presentation less natural, especially on the Reference II headphone. The adapted-to-fit HD560 earpads also diminished the size of the soundstage a bit but because the velour material is still sound porous, the bass performance remained more natural than it did with HD250 pleather pads. I was not very keen on the original HD540I "open" earpads either as I felt these were less natural sounding than the Ref.II velour pads, again giving the headphones a "signature", probably due to the extra thickness of earpad keeping the drivers further from the ear and lowering bass level. I also prefer to use these headphones with inner cloth instead of foam so to not attenuate any high frequency nuances. None of these headphones are harsh in the treble and require no HF attenuation IMO.

Have you ever listened to headphones HD560 Ovation I ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bostonears

As far as I can tell, the HD540 II original velour earpads are exactly the same as the HD560 original earpads, except for the mounting ring which is the part that needs to be "adapted-to-fit". The only reason I can think that HD540 II original pads might sound different is if they've squashed down over time compared to new HD560 pads.

Are they exactly the same ? It may have a different density foam ? Different densities of foam -other bass and space.

I'm thinking that the differences in perception of sound are the result of other ear . Everyone has different ears . Earpieces and pads are the same. It's like for every type of feet / one size shoe.
When you listen to music from speakers in the room , the most important / greatest acoustic element is a room (walls , floors , carpets ) . We hear the sound from the speakers and repeatedly reflected from objects in the room .

The largest area of the earpieces is our head with ears . One has a large , protruding , fleshy ears . Another has a small, tiny, close to the head ears . It's like a one man listened to the speakers in the garage, the second man listened to the speakers in the big living room. Do they hear the same sound?

We are discussing which pads are better... but in my opinion the biggest " pad " in the headphones is our ear.

I just wanted to comment that all the phones in this group are very sensitive to cable changes (unlike a lot of other phones I've owned). If you have the original HD540 (i.e. HD540 I) with the stock cable which uses steel wire, you should definitely try a cable change, even if it's just to one of Sennheiser's stock copper cables. The steel wire makes the original HD540's treble sound a bit harsh compared to using a copper cable.

Useful tip. Also about the impedance stamp inside. Any cable(s) that you particularly like?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriez

It really isn't an underdog to the HD-600 which I previously thought is very very nice for jazz. Can't compare them side by side but I might get one again soon.

I compared the similar-to-HD-540 HD 530 to the HD 600 and thought the latter sounded a bit more detailed but a bit worse in timbre, with my preference being the HD 530.

Interesting information. That word timbre, it's something I find hard to fathom even after reading Wikipedia about it. How would you explain a 5 year old what to listen for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hairspray

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriez

[...] Happened to find a 540 Reference for only €25 which seems to be in great condition both interior and exterior. Velour is on them although I cannot be sure if these are originals. I must say that I am quite wow-ed [...].

25 or 250 euros? is it a typo?

25 euros would be one tenth the price of the cheapest Beats for a headphone sounding a least 10x better than the most expensive Beats (sorry for such an old joke, but i couldn't help and, after all, it isn't a joke).

btw, since you are mentioning velour pads, i assume it's a HD 540 ref II ?

No joke indeed. I've got to say it again but having just listened to my LCD2, I like the way the 540 sounds more. Ha! Even much more. Needless to say as we know how these things work but were this headphone named Sennheiser 540i with a recent release date and priced mid-fi class I bet this can was getting some serious ''audiophile'' love. For lack of a better word and not really sure what I mean by it I do find them a bit one dimensional. Perhaps it's their to my ears neutral nature.

To brag and boast, I just bought a second pair that comes with the good and clean looking, hopefully good sounding velours like here. The 250 Linear pads are not up to snuff in my opinion. Eventhough the low is a liiitle boosted it somehow sounds a bit off with those.

As far as I can tell, the HD540 II original velour earpads are exactly the same as the HD560 original earpads, except for the mounting ring which is the part that needs to be "adapted-to-fit". The only reason I can think that HD540 II original pads might sound different is if they've squashed down over time compared to new HD560 pads.

Originally Posted by Aulait

Are they exactly the same ? It may have a different density foam ? Different densities of foam -other bass and space.

I'm going to retract my earlier statement that they are exactly the same. I have a pair of new-old-stock (still in the package) HD540 II original earpads. I just compared those to the HD560 pads, and the HD540 pads are a few millimeters taller. The density of the foam feels the same, but the difference in height would increase the space and probably have a minor effect on the sound.